We’re coming into the unfortunate part of the football season when two things start happening that cause the average football fan to stop putting their full effort into Sundays; holiday obligations and their favorite team being eliminated from playoff contention.
Neither of these things are good excuses for not putting forth at least a little bit of an effort. You still have fantasy playoffs to manage, you still have to hope your team shows some sign of life, you should still have something spicy, fatty and carb-y to go with your beer.
Smoked Cheddar Jalapeño Crisps
This is a combination of two previous recipes I’ve posted for the Football Foodie, Smoky Habanero Jalapeño Popper Bread and Parmesan Crisps. Smoked cheddar and jalapeños go together like Joe Montana and Jerry Rice, the perfect match of heat and savory. Crisps are something you can prepare ahead of time and without much effort, like working on a game plan against the Texans. Similes are a writer’s lazy tool, like Albert Haynesworth.
You will need:
1 stick (8 tablespoons unsalted butter), softened to room temperature
1 1/2 cup flour
2 egg yolks
1/2 tsp salt
3 jalapeños, seeded and minced (about 3/4 cup)
1 scallion including white section, chopped
6 ounces extra sharp cheddar, shredded
3 ounces smoked cheddar, shredded
Flour
Blend together the butter, salt and flour with a pastry blender (or cut together with two knives) until your ingredients have a sandy texture. Using your hands, mix in the cheeses and egg yolks, then the chopped jalapeños and green onion, crumbling with fingers as you go to evenly mix everything together.
Once all the ingredients are fully incorporated, form into two large balls. Roll each ball out onto a log on a lightly floured board or clean counter and then wrap in wax paper. Refrigerate for an hour or two, then slice into 1/4 inch pieces.
Don’t worry, I know it doesn’t look like much dough, but you’re still going to get a ton of crisps out of this batch.
In a 350º oven, bake on lined cookie sheets for 15-20 minutes, until the crisps are golden. Cool completely and then serve.
You can make these crisps a day ahead of time and either store in an air-tight container or make the dough and the refrigerate in both wax paper and plastic wrap before baking. As I said, minimal planning.
Now if we could only figure out what would be the least amount of planning for Raiders-Jets or Bucs-Bills with stooping to just opening a bag of Bugles, bleach and despair.
Need even more football watching-centric recipe ideas? Find the complete archive of Football Foodie/Foodball recipes here, and all recipes that have appeared on KSK here.